smoking on chemo!!!

[naomi]

MY BROTHER IN-LAW HAS STAGE IV CC. HE IS ON 5FU AND CPT11. HE TRIES TO KEEP UP WITH HIS USUAL SOCIAL LIFE EVEN WHEN HE IS FEELING BAD. HE ATTENDS VERY CROWED AND SMOKINY GET TOGETHERS AND EVEN SOME PARTIES. I'M NOT SURE IF THATS GOOD FOR HIM BECAUSE IT KEEPS UP HIS MORAL OR IF ITS UNHEALTHY. EVEN WORSE IS HE GETS TERRIBLE CRAMPING ON THE WEEK OF HIS TREATMENT AND THE ONLY THING HE SAYS THAT RELAXES HIM IS SMOKING A CIGARETTE. SO HE DOES. PEOPLE AROUND HIM ALLOW THIS BECAUSE THEY WANT HIM TO FEEL GOOD. DOES HIS CIGARETTE SMOKING INTERFERE WITH CHEMO TREATMENT? OR IS IT JUST AS BAD AS ANY PERSON SMOKING?

[rthornton]

That's an interesting question. I have a lot of musician friends, so if I'm going to be social at all, it means either meeting a lot of new people and/or being in a lot of smoky places. I hope that the second-hand smoke, in such moderation (it's not like it's every night, more like once every three or four weeks I am in a loud, smoky bar, and it's becoming even less frequent than that), isn't really an issue. The truth is, I find myself starting to look at smokers with just a hint of contempt. I know some otherwise very smart people who smoke copiously. They don't even attempt moderation.

[seussfan]

Smoking is bad - period. In addition, it was explained to me that your CEA number can be affected by smoking - it makes it higher. That could be discouraging/deceiving. I don't know how it reacts with chemo treatments, but here is an article you could read:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12122160/

[Jeremiah]

Indeed smoking is very very bad for you. However, there really has not been any definitive scientific evidence that smoking is a direct cause of colon cancer, and as far as I know, there has not been the same type of tie to chemotherapy.

But, we all know that smoking in no way will HELP colon cancer or chemotherapy so the best option and chance will be to stay away from it completely.